Medan: From Deli to Tjong A Fie

Chapter 4, Part 13

In politics there are no permanent friends or enemies, only interests. This has been repeatedly proven in the history of relations among nations where two unlikely partners often formed alliances to defeat their common rival. The Dutch East India Company (VOC) demonstrated this tactic when they entered an alliance with the Kingdom of Kandy in Sri Lanka to take over Portuguese strongholds, and eventually banish the Iberian power from the island. The VOC, however, were more careful when dealing with competing sultanates in northern Sumatra – another region where they had trade interests. By doing so, they trod a fine line between engaging in local politics and being one of the key players of economic activities there.

In the early 17th century, the sultanate of Aceh Darussalam – one of the most powerful states in the region – conquered the Portuguese-backed Kingdom of Aru which occupied a land later known as Deli. For almost four decades Deli remained under the influence of its northern neighbor until the reign of Sultana Safiatuddin Tajul Alam of Aceh who ascended the throne following her husband’s death. The once mighty Aceh Darussalam entered a period of instability, and the sultana’s 28th year of rule was marred by the declaration of independence by Tuanku Panglima Perunggit, the grand vizier of Deli.

The new sultan of Deli soon established a connection with the Dutch who had conquered Malacca from the Portuguese decades earlier. Trade between the two began to develop, paving the way for closer ties in the future. However, decades after the death of Tuanku Panglima Perunggit, internal conflicts emerged among his grandchildren with a foreseeable outcome. The alienated oldest grandson left the palace with his mother and later established the Sultanate of Serdang.

The Mosque’s Side View

Different Architectural Elements of the Mosque

Under the Main Dome

Inside the Mosque

Through the Stained Glass

A Secondary Pulpit for the Muezzin (The Person Who Recites the Call to Prayer)

Deli’s growing significance as the producer of several commodities, including sandalwood and camphor, as well as the ongoing conflict with Serdang tempted other sultans in the region to exert their dominance over the sultanate. Aceh Darussalam to the north, Johor across the Strait of Malacca, and Siak Sri Indrapura to the south were all vying for control of Deli. But good relations with the Dutch not only provided Deli with a stable and reliable trading partner, but also ensured security from their envious neighbors.

Toward the end of the 19th century, the ninth sultan of Deli, Ma’mun Al Rashid Perkasa Alam, brought in unprecedented wealth to his sultanate thanks to one commodity: tobacco. Because Deli was blessed with soil ideal for growing tobacco, foreign investors poured their money in plantations all across the sultanate. Deli Company, a trading and distribution company founded by a Dutchman by the name of Jacobus Nienhuys, was one of the private-owned companies reaping huge profits from the lucrative tobacco industry. Deli soon rose as one of the world’s major tobacco producers and the Amsterdam Stock Exchange-listed Deli Company became the first modern company to pay large annual stock dividends – one of the firsts the Dutch city witnessed following the European power’s domination in trading activities across Indonesia (the Amsterdam-based VOC was the world’s first multinational company and Amsterdam Stock Exchange was the first stock market in the world).

Deli’s prosperity prompted the sultan to move the capital to Medan where he would build a new palace and a state mosque. Maimun Palace was completed in 1891 and the construction of Al Mashun Grand Mosque began fifteen years later.

Maimum Palace of the Sultanate of Deli

The Fourteenth Sultan Currently Lives Here

The Audience Hall

The Throne of Deli

Palace Musicians

One of Medan’s Main Landmarks

A Colonial Building at the Northern End of Kesawan

At the Southern End of Kesawan

Economic activities in Medan flourished, luring merchants and laborers alike from neighboring islands as well as faraway lands to the city to seek a better life. Tjong A Fie, a Hakka teenager from Guangdong in China, and his brother were among the people who left their homes and arrived in Medan to escape poverty. He started out by working in a shop belonging to his brother’s friend, and in the following years they set up their own business tapping the thriving plantation industry. At the turn of the 20th century, the Tjong brothers had become the richest people in Medan and their business empire was one that comprised of tobacco, tea, palm oil and sugar plantations as well as a bank and railroads.

Tjong A Fie’s prominence among the Chinese community in Medan brought about his appointment as the city’s Kapitan Cina (a title given to the leaders of Chinese communities across Southeast Asia). Not only was he a respected business magnate, but he was also involved in various philanthropic activities. He donated a part of his wealth to build temples, mosques, churches, schools and hospitals in Medan, earning him sympathy from the people.

However, in 1921 the city was shocked by Tjong A Fie’s sudden death of apoplexy. Soon, thousands of people turned up not only from Medan, but also from Java, Penang and Singapore to mourn him. Today one of his most enduring legacies stands at the heart of the city, in a district called Kesawan. Tjong A Fie mansion, which was completed in 1900, is a beautiful marriage of Chinese traditional architecture with European furniture and decorations. It is also a testament to a sizable Chinese community in a city that people from different faiths and ethnicities call home.

Tjong A Fie Mansion

The Inner Courtyard

Looking Up

The Mansion’s Guest Reception Area

One of the Rooms in the Mansion

Altar of the Ancestors

Looking Out to Kesawan

Click here for the full list of stories from the Spice Odyssey series.

Bama, this is a great summary about the rise of one of Indonesia’s most important cities. Though I’m not a big fan of Medan itself, I did find its trio of historic landmarks endlessly fascinating. They are all such beautiful works of architecture, and I’m surprised that Tjong A Fie Mansion is not more well-visited. It was so nice to be able to photograph all those different rooms inside – by contrast that Peranakan house we went to in Malacca was incredibly strict. I remember how they didn’t allow any pictures beyond the entrance hall!

Much appreciated, James! Fortunately the trio were all within walking distance to each other, therefore we didn’t need to deal with the city’s crazy traffic that much. Having been to Tjong A Fie Mansion twice, I was quite surprised to know how restrictive that Peranakan house in Malacca was. The ones in Penang were far more welcoming!

Thank you for your kind words, Peter. I admire the amount of time and effort they dedicated to build the palace and the mosque. What makes them more interesting is the fact that different architectural elements were applied to those buildings, giving them an enduring allure.

Although I guess I always knew this to be the case somewhere in the back of my mind, your first sentence was a thunder clap of truth! Succinct and so suddenly and (depressingly?) clear. Also makes us realize our current global state is not an anomaly; it’s the way of the world. Photos are awesome!

Bama…as always very interesting, insightful and cool. My memories of Medan are mostly hopping off the ferry and getting on the first bus out of town. Or catching one of those trishaws with old Triumph motorcycles on the side. Are they still there? Love the shots of the dome and glass.

Thanks Badfish. Was it the bus to Lake Toba that you took? The trishaws are still up and running, and they still are an important means of transport for the locals. Btw Happy New Year! Wish you a year filled with even better travel experiences!

Bama…right on! The bus to Lake Toba. I lived right on the lake for four months. Had to go back to Georgetown to renew my visa after the first two months. I thought I was going to travel elsewhere, got to Penang, ate some soup, spent a few nights, got back on the ferry back to Medan and bus to Lake Toba. I love that place. I learned to speak Bahasa Indonesia there…well, enough to actually talk, but probably sounding like a four-year-old. On the bus (so crowded), the old lady next to me (local) reached over and touched my (white) skin. Then looked me in the eye and smiled. I’ll never forget that. Such a cool experience. I wonder what she thought.

Four months in Toba sounds amazing! I loved the lake on my first trip there in 2012 — the local kids were among the friendliest I’ve ever met and the grilled fresh fish was awesome. I returned in 2015 and was disappointed with the rapid developments, and I’m not talking about better roads, ports or bridges. Rather noisy jet skis and hordes of loud tourists — hopefully that was just because I went at the ‘wrong’ time rather than something that became the new normal. I wonder if it was the first time for that old lady to see a white person, hence the fascination. Do you remember the bus being so horrifyingly fast? Going back to Medan from Toba was one of the scariest bus rides I’ve ever done.

Bama…I keep thinking I would like to go back to Toba, but I was there in 1988 or 89, and I fear I would not like the changes, definitely not jet skis. Every morning the locals would walk down to the lake and take their bath. I paid less than a dollar a day for a Batak house right on the lake. I ate so many avocadoes!! And the coffee, strained through what really looked like a sock. I bought a 3-foot bamboo flute and some of those big bamboo rice “jars” for pennies. Saw one for sale last time in Seminyak for like $350. I don’t remember the bus being so fast, but scary because at that time it was very possible your bag would be broken into and your stuff stolen, or your whole bag taken…so you had to keep watching to see if your bag was being downloaded at each stop. I want to write that episode, but have no photos here!

There’s this beach in Lombok which I really loved — it was so quiet and unspoiled when I was there. However, it seems to become more and more popular these days, although it hasn’t reached the point where Kuta in Bali has many years ago. I want to keep the good memory, and I’m not quite ready to face the reality. I can imagine how picturesque Toba must have looked like back in the 1980s. If you do return, it’s always wise to lower your expectation regardless of how amazing the place was the time you came.

Speaking of avocados, I remember the salad I had on Samosir (that small island in the middle of Toba) was among the best I’ve ever tried anywhere. Oh and that sock-like coffee strainer is actually still used in some places in Sumatra (I saw people using it in Aceh). You know, a good story is a good story, with or without photos. Maybe you should write about it sometime in the future!

Bama…yeah, it’s hard going back to places where you know you need to lower your expectations, that’s why I’m fairly certain I won’t return to Komodo, or Samosir (which is where I stayed). I was amazed that they had evergreens, palm trees and avocado trees! And I will write that story at some point, I hope.